Chorus Supercharges New Zealand’s Broadband With 10 Gbps Trial

Chorus has announced that its 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) residential and SME fiber broadband trial will start connecting customers in mid-March.

Four broadband retailers – 2degrees, Kordia, Stuff Fibre and Trustpower – have signed up to Chorus’ 10Gbps trial service with others expressing keen interest. The trial service will be available in selected areas of Auckland and Wellington, initially for 30 residential customers.

Chorus’ 10Gbps service is built in collaboration with Nokia using their XGS-PON fiber solution.

This is a next-generation network technology that supports fiber services of up to 10Gbps downstream and upstream, deployed over Chorus’ existing nationwide fiber broadband infrastructure.

The new service co-exists with today’s fiber services making it a natural evolution for those looking for even faster plans with an easy upgrade path.

The demand for greater internet data bandwidth is relentless. Ultra-high definition video, creative media services, advanced gaming, increased home working and dramatic proliferation of connected devices in our homes are all contributing to the need for greater capacity.

“Our 10 gigabit-per-second residential and SME trial will see New Zealanders accessing one of the fastest broadband services available on the planet”, said Chorus Chief Customer Officer, Ed Hyde.  “It also reinforces the ability to easily upgrade the world-class fiber infrastructure we have been building as the latest technologies become available.

“In the last eight years, New Zealand has seen a meteoric progression in broadband capability. In 2011 the average broadband speed was just 10Mbps or so. When Chorus’ fiber plans first launched in 2012 the top speed than available was 100Mbps. We were then the first to make gigabit fiber broadband available in 2014 and today this is the fastest growing plan on our network with more than 44,000 customers.

“We’re truly thrilled to be trialing our 10Gbps fiber service, a service we know will underpin New Zealand’s digital future and continue our decade long commitment to innovation and keeping New Zealand’s broadband infrastructure at the cutting edge.”―BCS Bureau